Remember when Canadiens general manger Marc Bergevin addressed the media early this year and admitted that, in a perfect world, Jonathan Drouin would be a winger?

With the Canadiens’ chances of making the playoffs disappearing into a black hole — they would have to win 22 of their remaining 27 games to have a chance — the team should embrace the opportunity to test that theory.

After 50 games with the Canadiens, it’s obvious that Drouin is not a centre. His inability to win faceoffs means that he and his linemates spend a disproportionate amount of time trying to play defence. While plus-minus ratings aren’t always a true reflection of a player’s performance, there’s a reason why Drouin is minus-26 and linemate Alex Galchenyuk is minus-27.

Until recently, head coach Claude Julien didn’t have many options. After conceding that the team might have made a mistake by putting Drouin in the middle, there was no rush to admit that it might have been a mistake to give up on Galchenyuk at that position. Injuries to Phillip Danault and part-time centre Andrew Shaw further limited the juggling Julien could do as the Canadiens tried to stay afloat.

But Danault has been cleared to join the team on its four-day road trip, which begins Wednesday in Colorado, and Shaw is skating again and could be ready next week. With some depth at centre and nothing to lose, it’s the perfect time to assess Drouin on the wing.

It would also be a good time to audition players for the hole that will result from the departure of Tomas Plekanec, whose unique talents will be difficult to replace. Can Charles Hudon fill that spot? How about Paul Byron? Is there a future for Mike McCarron in Montreal? Should collegians Jake Evans and Ryan Poehling join the team for the final two weeks of the season?

Montreal Canadiens’ Tomas Plekanec watches teammates line up for a faceoff against the New York Islanders in Montreal on January 15, 2018.John Mahoney /
Montreal Gazette

Windfall awaits Canadiens: The countdown is on for the Feb. 26 NHL trading deadline, when the Canadiens are expected to be sellers and, if you listen to Steve Yzerman, that could be good.

The Tampa Bay Lightning general manager was asked about possible trades to put the Stanley Cup contender over the top and he noted that buyers often come out on the short end of a deal.

“No matter what moves you make, there’s no guarantee that you’re winning the Cup,” Yzerman told the Tampa Bay Times. “I do know that at the trade deadline, any deal you make you’re paying more than at any time during the season. I weigh any opportunity with what it’s going to cost.”

The Canadiens are in a position to add some assets, although you can’t expect Bergevin to hit a home run and acquire a top-line centre. But there are several players who could bring assets back to Montreal.

There will be interest in Plekanec and it’s very possible that a team will overpay for his services because there will be multiple teams bidding for his services.

There will be teams asking about Max Pacioretty, but it would be foolish to part with a 30-goal scorer unless there’s a great return or the Canadiens are worried about meeting Pacioretty’s demands when he can become an unrestricted free agent in 2019.

There are lingering rumours that Edmonton would like to land Brendan Gallagher, but he’s a keeper.

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One player who might bring a return is goaltender Charlie Lindgren. He has proved that he can play at the NHL level but, with Carey Price signed for eight more seasons, he’s looking at limited action with the Canadiens. He might be more valuable for a team that needs a No. 1, but that’s a deal that might be more likely in the spring.

What are the odds? The Canadian women’s hockey team has won four consecutive Olympic gold medals since 2002, but the oddsmakers at Bodog have installed the United States as the favourite for this year’s competition. The Americans are a 10-13 choice, while Canada is listed at 11-10. These two nations are in a class by themselves, with Finland the third choice at 16-1 followed by the Olympic Athletes from Russia at 18-1.

On the men’s side, the Olympic Athletes from Russia are even-money favourites, followed by Canada and Sweden at 9-2. The Russian squad is comprised of players from the KHL, which is the No. 2 professional league in the world behind the NHL. The team includes NHL veterans Pavel Datsyuk, Mikhail Grigorenko and Ilya Kovalchuk, but there’s no sign of former Canadien Andrei Markov.

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